The establishment of the Nazi concentration camps was fundamentally influenced by the local environment. The camps were not isolated places; rather, they were integrated into their surrounding society through a dense network of administrative, economic, and social relationships. A paradigmatic example of this interplay is the establishment of the concentration camps in Oranienburg (1933-1934) and Sachsenhausen (1936-1945) in the city of Oranienburg. The study examines the interests of the city administration and local economy in the establishment of two of the largest concentration camps in the German Reich at the time and the effects of municipal political decisions. Additionally, it sheds light on the contacts between the SA, SS, concentration camp prisoners, and the local population.